Greek Strike Grounds Flights

Flights to and from Greece were grounded for several hours Thursday after air-traffic controllers joined a nationwide public sector strike to protest against the government's response to the financial crisis.

The strike is the latest in a series of protests since the police shooting of a teenager in December sparked the country's worst riots in decades, fueled by public discontent over a sharp economic slowdown.

Air traffic was suspended at around 1000 local time (0700 GMT) and was due to resume at 1400 (1100 GMT), an airport spokeswoman said. Scores of flights were canceled or rescheduled.

The 24-hour strike, which also shut down ministries and public services, was called by public sector unions representing more than half a million workers. They are fighting a public sector wage freeze and pension reforms among other issues.

"We paid for their profits, we must not pay for their crisis," the ADEDY union said in a statement.

Greece may face a recession in 2009 after years of sustained growth, as key sectors including tourism and construction are hit by the crisis.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis's government launched a EUR28 billion euro (USD$37.95 billion) bank support package in January but a huge debt and fiscal problems have prevented the ruling conservatives from giving substantial relief to the poor.

The government has also pledged to take unpopular measures if necessary to bring down its deficit in line with EU rules.